Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 11.djvu/54

38 led to the conclusion that "conditions" and not "processes" is the word to use for this purpose, since explanation is not the search for a special force or process, but for special conditions out of which special phenomena emerge, and the changes of which are accompanied by changes in the phenomena emerging.

The successive changes in social phenomena we called social processes in a secondary sense. But tracing a succession of changes down to its latest manifestation is not explanation, but rather an important preliminary to explanation; it is more fully stating the problem, and each succeeding change is a part of the problem to be explained by reference to the changing conditions.

His use of the word "processes" as a name for whatever is necessary to explain "products," leads Professor Ross to set down a heterogeneous list under the head of "processes," omitting from it the social activities, or social processes in the primary sense, as defined above, and tabulating a variety of other things. First in his list stands "assimilation" by "environment, education, occupation, mode of life, and dialectic of personal growth." All these he surprisingly designates as "preliminary" processes, and those following as "social." For example, biological multiplication is a "social" process, but "assimilation by environment, education, occupation, and mode of life" are "preliminary." Biological multiplication of one race may furnish all the similarity that is the necessary preliminary of association, and "assimilation by environment, education, occupation, and made of life" is preliminary in the same sense that everything down to yesterday is preliminary to what follows, for which it prepared the way. Assimilation, according to our system, is a type of social change. Common occupation, etc., are forms of conditioning relations. Common "environment" and "education" are too complex ideas to be made co-ordinate with the other items in this list. His next group, and the first of the "social processes," is "multiplication, congregation, and conjugation." This is getting together a population, and we should say supplies conditions for the social process. It is the setting up of groupings and relations, the changing of conditions that affect the social process.